Hate crime laws that protect gay, lesbian and transgender people may have an unexpected benefit: fewer teen suicide attempts, among kids of all sexual orientations. That’s the conclusion of a new study that looked at what happened in U.S. states that enacted hate crime laws with protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning individuals.…  read on >  read on >

(HealthDay News) – Health authorities in Britain, who routinely test sewage samples for the virus that causes polio, declared a “national incident” after evidence of local spread was found in London sewers. No cases have been identified yet, according to the UK Health Security Agency. There is little risk to the public, British health officials…  read on >  read on >

Media reports about an outbreak of monkeypox may sound scary, but there’s no need for most people to take special steps to avoid getting the viral illness, an infectious disease expert says. Normal precautions recommended to prevent other diseases are sufficient, according to Dr. David Cennimo, an associate professor of medicine and pediatrics in the…  read on >  read on >

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is poised to pull Juul Lab’s e-cigarettes off the American market. The decision, which follows a two-year review of reams of data presented by the vaping company, could come as early as Wednesday, sources told the Wall Street Journal. The FDA has already banned the sale of fruit-flavored e-cigarettes…  read on >  read on >

Women aren’t imagining it as they view near-empty store shelves: Global supply chain issues have prompted a shortage of tampons. Reports on social media of shortages were confirmed this week by the on-demand grocery delivery service, Instacart, as searches for tampons rose 13% over last week. At the same time, the ability of Instacart’s shoppers…  read on >  read on >

After years of decline, infertility rates among U.S. women have held steady in the past decade or so, a new study finds. The reasons behind the stall are unclear. But researchers said rising rates of sexually transmitted diseases, and unequal access to reproductive health care could be factors. The study found that from 2006 to…  read on >  read on >

More and more of America’s teens are getting vaccinated against the human papillomavirus virus (HPV), new research indicates. Between 2015 and 2020, the study found, the percentage of 13- to 17-year-olds who had gotten at least one dose of the vaccine steadily increased, rising from 56% to just over 75%. “In addition, the adolescents who…  read on >  read on >

(HealthDay News) – A small preliminary study suggests that the health of an expectant mother’s gums may affect her likelihood of a preterm birth. The study compared oral inflammation and microbes in 33 women whose babies were born before 37 weeks of pregnancy, considered preterm, with 44 who had full-term deliveries. “We observed that women…  read on >  read on >

A new rule that would require tobacco companies to slash nicotine levels in cigarettes could be issued Tuesday by the Biden administration. The rule, which would have an unprecedented effect in lowering smoking-related deaths, would be unveiled as part of a compilation of planned federal regulatory actions released twice a year, an individual with knowledge…  read on >  read on >